Seconds And Firsts
by StarAngel148
Summary: Life didn't turn out the way Chloe had expected it to. After all, she was always the second choice. Chloe/Lex eventually. Minor Lexana and Chlark in future chapters.
1. Last Resort

Title: Seconds …and Firsts

Author: Starangel148 or Melissa

Rating: PG-13 to R, subject to change at a later date according to my will

Summary: Life didn't turn out Chloe expected it to. After all, she was always the second choice.

Timetable: Kara is not included. Everything up to season 6 is up for grabs, though I may change events to my liking. Lana does marry Lex, though her pregnancy isn't fake- she does miscarry the baby though.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I own no characters and receive no money for the following. I wrote because I'm bored and can't sleep.

A/N - This is what happens when one suffers from insomnia and can't sleep at 3 in the morning. This story was inspired by episode 4x18- Spirit. Though once I get into the story you'll be like WTF how did Spirit inspire this? Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I would also like to warn everyone that I haven't written in years and none of this is betaed so I'm sorry for my minor blemishes. Thanks!

This chapter is named after a Papa Roach song. It's also rated R for the use of the f-word. And now, on with the story and enjoy. 

**Seconds… and Firsts**

_**Part 1- Last Resort**_

Chloe fidgeted on the expensive Italian leather couch in the living room as she watched the doctor packed up his medical supply bag.

"When will you send me the results?"

Dr. Fredrick adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses and hoisted his bag off the coffee table.

"I'll process the blood as soon as I get back to the office. I send the results over as soon as I confirm my diagnosis."

Chloe nodded her head in affirmation and smoothed down her waist-length brunette tresses.

"Okay. Thanks Dr. Fredrick. Bill my husband as always." She nodded her head towards the maid standing at the entrance, silently waiting for instructions. "Amelia will show you out."

Dr. Fredrick leaned forward, grabbed her hand and chastely placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Always a pleasure Mrs. Luthor."

Chloe resisted the urge to pull back her hand and cringe. Even after a year, it still bothered her to be referred to as Lex Luthor's wife. Instead, she just gave the doctor a slight nod of her head and watched as Amelia stepped forward to usher him out of the penthouse.

When Amelia came back in to ask if she needed anything, Chloe muttered a no and waited for the head maid to retreat back into the shadows as Lex had trained her to do.

Staring directly ahead, Chloe wondered how she'd allowed things to get this far. How she'd allowed herself to be bullied into a marriage that she resented most days, how she'd allowed Lex to convert her into another useless Metropolis society wife , and she'd gotten so far away from the person she'd always dreamed of becoming that it all seemed like a distant memory in the corner of her subconscious.

Her mind wandered to Clark and Lois- the dynamic duo of the Daily Planet. The holders of her dream job. She wished she could blame the loss of that particular dream to Lex, but the truth was that dream had been crushed long before she'd married him.

After interning at the Planet for almost four years- two years with Lois and the last year with both her favorite cousin and her best friend- she'd been the Planet's second choice of people to hire. Lois and Clark had been the Planet's first choices.

She could still feel the bitterness build up inside her.

On the off-chance that either of them had rejected the job, she'd have been the next person offered. Neither of her friends rejected becoming full-time reporters. She was always the second choice.

Curling her feet under her, she pulling her laptop of the coffee table and into her lap. Opening her email she scanned to see what was new.

A one sentence email from Lex.

**Be back Sunday night.**

Her husband didn't even bother with pleasantries with her unless he was horny and trying to get her into bed or if he was trying to be cruel.

Thirteen emails from the various of the Metropolis society wives she'd met in the last year.

She rolled her eyes. Most of the bitches hated her, but invited her to various charities events so they could relentless mock her amongst themselves and comment on the shameful disgrace Lex Luthor had chosen as a wife.

Lex got a kick out of sticking her in situations with those harpies- surrounding her by all the women he'd bagged since they'd gotten married. He got a cheap thrill from knowing that she was unknowingly- though she knew, despite his stealthy skills and her almost complete captivity- in a pack of women he'd had sexual relations with while she had to idlely sat at home sexually frustrated. Sick bastard.

She paused as he noticed the emails from Clark and Lana. She didn't even waste a full second thinking about it before she deleted both emails. This whole thing was their fault anyway.

The only comfort she derived from the situation she found herself in was that she wasn't the only one miserable. Her marriage to Lex had successful, much to her glee, destroyed Clark and Lana's relationship.

She'd cost Lana her happily ever after with her knight in shining cape- even if the pink princess didn't know Chloe was to blame. Chloe had been denied her happiness and freedom, and in return had stolen Lana's away from her. On her wedding day no less.

After all, reciprocity was the way the world worked.

_Twelve months prior…_

_One thing that Chloe never expected to find sitting at the bar in her favorite bar on the bad side of Metropolis was Lex Luthor. Yet he was hard to miss the second you stepped through the door._

_Chloe contemplated spinning around and leaving, but decided against it. After all, this was her side of town. She didn't set foot in the more expensive parts of town and she thought she had an unspoken agreement with Lex that he stayed out of her territory._

_Taking a deep breath, Chloe placed a neutral expression on her face and headed for the bar._

"_Why Mr. Luthor," she drawled with a too-sweet voice. "What brings a man such as yourself to the slum side of the city? Does the latest Mrs. Luthor demand her crack rock before she settles into bed?"_

_Not her best line, but she'd had a long day and she was in no mood to think of anything better._

_Lex didn't even bother to turn to look at her. Instead he placed a drink in front of the chair next to him and waited for her to take a seat._

"_What are you doing here Lex?" She tried not to sound interested, but plopped down in the seat. _

_When two minutes later he'd still failed to answer her, she picked up the glass in front of her and drowned its contents. Scotch, she shouldn't have been surprised. She called the bartender over and order a double shot of the same- telling him to add it to Mr. Luthor's tab._

_The bartender shot a glance at Lex and he gave his affirmation. Chloe tucked her chin-length blonde hair behind her ear as another drink was set in front of her._

_Chloe waited until she'd drowned the second glass before asking Lex again why he was there._

"_Did you know?"_

_Chloe raised an eyebrow and waited for him to explain._

"_Did you know Clark and Lana were planning to get married?"_

"_No." Chloe didn't even bother to hide her distaste with the subject. "And I could care less. I hope they live happily motherfucking ever after."_

_Lex nodded the bartender over and order for him to bring over the rest of the bottle he'd paid for. Pouring a liberal amount of the liquid into each of their glasses, he set the bottle back on the bar and held his glass up._

"_To the lovebirds." When Chloe refused to raise her glass he shot her look an unreadable look, but continued nonetheless. "May they receive back all the misery they besotted on others."_

_Chloe rolled her eyes._

"_You're still in love with her."_

_It wasn't a question- they both knew he did._

"_You're still in love with Clark." He rebutted leaning forward slightly._

"_You're still bitter with Clark about him not sharing his secrets with you." She volleyed back as she rolled her eyes. She didn't bother denying his claim; she knew he wouldn't believe if she said she didn't. "Did you want a little pillow talk from him?"_

"_Did you?"_

_Her lips pursed into a straight line. "You know I was invisible compared to Lana Lang."_

_And for the first time in a long time Chloe saw a smile breakout over Lex's features. Instinctively she knew his next words would be meant as weapons against her feelings._

"_Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Right Sullivan?"_

_Chloe ignored the pang in her heart and reached for the Scotch bottle._

"_Always second-best right Luthor?"_

"_You're the expert in that particular field."_

"_Jackass." She was way too emotionally and physically drained from the day to venture into that particular area of discussion. "Thanks for the drink, but I'd rather chug rat poison then spend any more time in your presence."_

_Picking up the purse she'd set on the bar earlier, she threw back what was left in her glass and stood up._

"_I'd say it was a pleasure Lex, but we both know it hasn't been. See you at your funeral."_

_Throwing back the rest of his drink as well, he stood up and shrugged on his coat with all the grace a Luthor possessed._

"_I think we'll be seeing each other soon than then."_

_Chloe raised an eyebrow at him as she walked backwards towards the door. "Stalking me. Why Lex, should I be flattered?"_

"_No stalking required Miss Sullivan." They both pushed out into the cold Metropolis night and even though didn't see the limo pull up to the curb; she heard the whoosh of the tires as the driver flawlessly maneuvered the car. "But I can guarantee we'll be seeing each other tomorrow morning."_

"_Really."_

"_Really."_

"_How can you be so sure?" Chloe asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She suddenly felt so tired and wished nothing more than for Lex to disappear and for a cab to take her home. Her eyelids suddenly felt so heavy._

"_Because the sedative I slipped into your drink should be fully hitting you in a couple seconds."_

_Chloe didn't even have time to panic before Lex had her pressed against the car and had a hand clamped over her mouth._

"_Don't bother trying to scream."_

_Chloe felt her eyes begin to drop slightly. Lex loosened up the hand over her mouth, but his body didn't relax its stance._

_Chloe could feel the energy drain from her body. "Why?" She managed to push past her lips._

"_Don't even think about being remotely flattered Sullivan." He spit out her name like it was garbage. "After all, you must remember, you were my second choice."_

When she'd woken up the next morning her life had been completely rearranged according to Lex's very specific calculations. Her apartment had been cleared out and all her thing moved into the Lex's penthouse. Her job as a copy clerk at the Metropolis Inquisitor- though crappy as it was- had been terminated and her things been collected by one of Lex's many goons. And the most significant change had been her loss of freedom.

The next morning, when she'd awoken startled in a strange bed and with a fuzzy memory, and Lex, who had been at the foot of the bed, had so graciously presented her with a ring box and a stack of papers.

"_What are these?"_

_She'd considered fling the items back in his face without inspecting them, but she was still unclear as to what Lex's intentions were._

"_Those my dear," he sneered out the term of endearment. "Are your engagement ring, your wedding band and a marriage contract."_

"_You're crazy if you think I'm marrying you Lex." She sneered right back at him._

"_I'm not asking you to marry me."_

_Chloe expression didn't change. "Good. Because I wouldn't marry you if my life depended on it."_

_His eyes bore into hers and she felt herself stiffen. Lex was nothing if not calculating and he didn't utter a sentence without some intent behind the words he chose._

"_I'm not asking because I don't need to." He grabbed the stack of papers from her hands, flipped to the last page and held it up to her eyes. "We're already married darling."_

_Chloe felt the air rush out of her lungs. "What?!"_

_Lex's finger tapped the dotted line towards the bottom where her signature was clearly displayed next to his._

"_Legally binding…" He told her with a hint of vicious smugness. "In case you were thinking of contesting it."_

_Chloe closed her eyes and struggled to contain the tears that were bubbling in her eyes. She would not give Lex Luthor the satisfaction of seeing her cry._

"_What do you want Lex?" She managed to get out through gritted teeth. He still had yet to give her even a glimpse of what his masterful scheme might be."Trying to marry the next most likely candidate to uphold the sacred tradition of trying to murder you?"_

_Lex didn't even twitch a muscle._

"_Like I told you last night Chloe. If I can't have my first choice, I'm going to have second best."_

He promptly left her to stew in her misfortune and hatch an escape plan alone. It wasn't until hours later, after she'd calmed down and read over the contract that he'd presented her with, that she realized that she Lex had cornered her.

"Mrs. Luthor?" Chloe broke out of her reverie as Amelia appeared before her, a folded sheet of paper on a silver platter. "Fax just came in for you."

Barely acknowledging the presence of the spy her husband constantly had watching her every move, she grabbed the slip off the platter and waited until Amelia had left the room before opening the paper.

Quickly scanning the paper with eager eyes, she reigned in her emotions long enough to throw the paper into the roaring fire and march into her bedroom before letting the tears begin to drop.

Scrambling towards the bathroom on shaky legs, she managed to make it to the toilet before she regurgitated the Chicken a la King dinner Francis the cook had made. Personally she hated Chicken a la King, but the cook was under strict orders while Lex was gone to cook meals Lex had discovered Chloe had a distaste for.

After spewing up the entire contents of her stomach, Chloe managed to pull herself up to the sink to rinse out her mouth before hurling herself towards the bed she unwilling shared.

She silently thanked Lex for being out-of-town. She couldn't deal with him right now. Reaching between the mattress cushions she pulled out the cell phone she hid from Lex- one he didn't have a tap on.

**I've got a problem Lo.** She typed out as quickly as her fingers would allow her to.

Seconds later Lois' reply arrived.

**Cut your bastard of a husband's balls off yet?**

Had she been feeling better, Chloe would have responded with something just as snarky.

**No.**

Pausing her sentence, Chloe sighed and started rethinking telling Lois the truth. Deciding to employ the band aide effect on her cousin she quickly typed out the sentence she'd been dreading admitting out loud.

**After resisting Lex for over ten months, last month I finally gave in and slept with him.**

Chloe waited anxiously for Lois' reply.

**Chlo please tell me you aren't…**

There wasn't a need to finish the sentence; they both knew what she meant. And as much as her heart ached to say it she finally said it to herself.

**I'm pregnant.**


	2. Fake It

A/N: Title is a Seether song. Still own nothing, but my engagment ring. Still can't sleep at night- although I think my readers might like that since it means I'm updating. I have appreciated everyone's feedback. You all seem to have similar questions as to what is going on with Lex and Chloe with where they are when I begin the story. Well, I hope this answers some- though I feel it will create more questions than it answers. All will be revealed in time, but I'd love to hear what you think Lex has up his sleeve. Feedback is always welcome and hope you all enjoy the update!

_**Part 2: Fake It**_

_Eleven months prior…_

_Chloe Sullivan was a born investigative reporter. Since she could remember, it was in her blood to extract the truth of any situation and she was good at it. To her, finding out the truth was as vital to her existence as was consuming coffee or breathing._

_So she was surprised that Lex thought that a simple explanation- such as I'll settle for second best- and handing her a stack of documents would satisfy her curiosity._

_No, her name was Chloe Sullivan and she was a truth seeker._

_For the past few weeks she'd done her homework: studied their marriage contract until she could recite the whole thing back word for word, sulked around the penthouse like a stealthy prowler scoping out and discovering every nook, cranny, and hidden vault inside the nine bedroom penthouse, and most importantly, she'd begun to systematically lift the passwords off Lex's computer when the opportunty arose._

_Her name was Chloe Sullivan and she was not about to bow down to the likes of Lex Luthor. She'd lulled Lex into a false sense of security; Played the role of the distraught prisoner to perfection and bent to his will._

_She'd let him redo her wardrobe- that hadn't been too horrible. Thankfully Lex seemed to have an aversion to pink like she did, so her wardrobe was mostly vibrant and rich colors, every hue of the rainbow, but primarily in green. _

_Her under garment makeover hadn't been overtly pleasant, but thankful Lex was never going to see more than a bra strap, so she didn't make a fuss about all the skimpy lingerie that he'd shoved into her dresser._

_Changing her hair color she'd been pissed about. She'd always loved her blond locks- they off-set her skin and highlighted her emerald eyes. She'd dreaded having the incredibly gay Frenchman dye her hair chestnut brown, but she knew Lex was just doing it further annoy her. He'd also instructed Jean-Lucas to add length and volume to her "string hair." The three hours she'd had to sit still as the weave and extensions were added to her hair had been physically agonizing. Her scalp burn for days afterwards and at one point she'd considered grabbing a pair of scissors from the kitchen and undoing all of work._

_It would have been a useless attempt at control of her life- Lex would have just had Jean-Lucas redo all the labor and she would rather silently suffer about how her hair looked then have to go through the entire process again._

_So far Lex had yet to make a sexual advance on her or try to sneak into her room at night. She patted herself on the back for accomplishing that feat. She wanted to believe that what steered Lex away was the butcher knife she hid under her pillow, but she knew that if her husband truly wanted to crawl into her bed a knife wouldn't stop him._

_So what was stopping Lex from having sex with her? She knew they hadn't been intimate the night he'd orchestrated this fiasco that was now her life- he would have used it to taunt her with it if they had._

_What was Lex's true motivation for making her Mrs. Lex Luthor? It wasn't because he loved, or even liked, her. It was a silly whim either. Lex had moved past the spoiled brat stage of his life after his marriage to Lana had ended. _

_And what the fuck made Lex think she'd just take his abuse lying down?_

_Chloe sighed and rolled over in bed. She could hear her husband moving around outside her bedroom. Lex would be leaving for work soon. Then finally, after weeks of collecting passwords, she'd break into his classified documents and finally figure out his true end game._

_She heard the bedroom door start to open and quickly shut her eyes. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew his routine. He would open the door, linger in the doorway for a couple of seconds before coming in and hovering over her bed for a couple of minutes._

_She wasn't quite sure what he thought about the two or three minutes he hovered over her- his body bent over the bed and his face within breathing range- but afterwards he would briskly leave her room and seconds later the penthouse._

_She sensed his presence over her form and worked on controlling her breathing. When Lex had finished indulging in whatever perverse reason he had for standing over her bed and shut the door, Chloe released a sigh._

_Amelia knocked minutes later, per Lex's instructions, and ushered in another maid with a breakfast tray. Chloe sat up and allowed the other maid, Carol she believed, set up her breakfast. Buttermilk pancakes, fresh strawberries, orange juice and the daily vitamins Lex made her take._

_She'd questioned him once as to what they were; he'd responded by telling her that his wife needed to be healthy. _

_Question was for what? If she knew Lex, which she liked to believe she did despite the latest curve ball he'd thrown at her, it had nothing to do with her health. So she'd learned to wait until Amelia left the room before hiding the pills and pretending she'd swallowed them down._

_She'd finished her breakfast, called Amelia to collect everything and instructed her to leave her alone until Lex returned._

_Waiting until she heard Amelia leave the hallway, Chloe hopped out of bed and pulled on the clothes she'd been wearing the night before. She pulled a scrap of paper out from under her mattress, slipped the computer codes into her pocket and tried to calm her wildly beating heart._

"_Okay Chloe Sullivan," Chloe whispered to herself as she peeked her head out the door and made sure the cost was clear before venturing out. "It hasn't been that long since your breaking and entering days. Chanel your inner stealth master, break into Lex's computer and figure out how to beat him at his own game."_

_Moving quickly, but quietly down the hallway Chloe checked to make sure the penthouse staff was otherwise occupied before charging towards Lex's office door._

_Grabbing a hold of knob, Chloe silently prayed that it was unlocked. Giving it a firm twist, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders when the door gently popped open._

"_Okay Sullivan, halfway there."_

_She rushed towards the computer, pulled the scrap of paper out of her back pocket and plopped herself in the desk chair. Her fingers moved at breakneck speed to input all thirteen different codes to unlock the folder she was sure Lex had his master plan saved in. The man had more security on his computer than any normal person should._

_Finding more than two hundred secret files, Chloe's eyes began to quickly skim the names to find anything that could be relevant to her, Clark or Lana. This obviously had something to do with them._

_Reading all the file names, Chloe began the tedious task of deciphering the important ones from the trivial ones._

_Over half the files were investigations into the many miraculous things Clark had done or the situations he'd found himself in. There was a chuck of documents about surveillance details on Lana- before, during and after their short-lived marriage. There were a few surveillance details about her._

_Chloe sighed. "Nothing so far." She began to consider that maybe, just maybe, Lex was too smart to write down his plan for her._

_She was just about to close everything when she spotted it; a document entitled __**Smallville Project**__. And even though her head reasoned there could be a million and one projects Lex had going on in Smallville, the pounding of her heart told her that wasn't it. This was about her. The date was too recent._

_She double-clicked the document and with sweaty palm awaited its opening. The second it opened, she began to drink it all in._

_Chloe let out a gasp. "No way."_

_He was going to use their marriage as blackmail to lure Clark away from Lana. And not just by bargaining with returning Chloe her freedom, but also he planned to do so by… _

"_Mr. Luthor, did you forget something?" She heard one of the maids says from down the hall._

"_Just something in my study." She heard Lex reply as his foot falls neared._

_Chloe could feel her heart beat against her ribs in sharp pangs. If Lex caught her snooping on his computer he might just kill her. _

_Quickly deciding that trying to shut everything down would take far too long, she pulled the plug on the laptop, whipped out of the chair and practically threw herself at the bookcase on the far wall._

_Concentrating heavily on catching and slowing her breathing, she picked up the closest thing within reach and pretended to peruse the book she got her hands on. When he stepped in, Chloe silently said a pray that she looked as natural as possible._

"_What are you doing in here?"_

_Chloe placed on her face the best shocked look she could manage. "Lex," she held up a hand to her heart. "I didn't hear you!"_

_Lex's face remained stoic._

_Holding the book up as proof, Chloe sighed dramatically. "I get so bored. You haven't let me contact my friends in so long and I needed an escape. Figured Niche or Shakespeare or maybe Hemingway would do the trick."_

_Lex lifted an eyebrow. "What did you decide on then?"_

_Thinking on her feet, Chloe said the first author she could think of. Hopefully the Lex had a book by them in the vast literary collection in his study._

"_Emily Dickinson." Chloe sighed contently and held the book tightly to her chest, trying to discreetly hide the book from Lex's view. "I love her poems."_

"_Okay." Chloe sighed inwardly in relief. Lex seemed to have bought her lie. "I just came back for some contracts."_

_Chloe watched as he strode forward and picked up a stack of papers next to the computer- documents she seemed to have slightly skewed while looking on his laptop. Chloe tensed, and then relaxed when Lex seemed not to notice this little red flag either._

_Placing the contract into a folder, Chloe waited for Lex's next move. He headed for the door and stopped just as he was about to pull it open._

"_I know what you're doing Chloe." He didn't bother to turn around and look at her. "Whatever you may think you'll find by snooping in my office, you won't."_

_He took a step further out the room before Chloe's voice stopped him._

"_I'll figure it out Lex. Whatever low-down, dirty or perverse scheme you have going, I'll figure it out. After all, I did bring down the mighty Lionel luthor."_

_This time Lex did turn and she found herself pinned between his body and the desk's edge. Along the way he'd set down the papers he came for and she's had the book jarred from her grip._

"_Listen little girl," He bit out dangerously, his gaze roaring to life in a flash of stormy grey-blue. "You don't know who you're messing with." The grip on her forearms tightened. "You're going to act like a good little girl- Please me as I see fit. And when the time comes, you'll do as I tell you and play your part."_

_Chloe feel the skin on her arms begin to hurt. He was holding her too tightly, she was going to bruise._

"_Do I make myself clear?"_

"_I hate you Lex."_

_He pushed her back roughly, making her back poke harshly into the desk's corner, and picked up his folder from the desk where he'd set it down._

"_Good thing I'm not asking for your love then." Holding the papers securely in his hands, he headed out the study and down the hall._

_Chloe could feel the burning on her forearms and the tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Rushing towards the door, she couldn't help the burst of emotion that surged forward._

"_I hate you Lex Luthor." Chloe screamed at the top of her lungs. "You're a cold-hearted bastard and I hate you!"_

_Feeling her knees give out on her, she slipped down the wall- cradling her arms and releasing the tears she'd been trying to hold at bay._

_At the last second, right before the front door slammed shut, she heard Lex's voice waft back to her._

"_You flatter me Mrs. Luthor_."

_**Present**_

Lex Luthor was a man of his word. So by the time Sunday came around, Chloe was on pins and needles.

She'd spent the last four days agonizing about how revealing her pregnancy would affect everyone- Lex, her and their unborn child. And Saturday morning, somewhere between picking herself off the bathroom floor and wiping the vomit off her cheek she'd realized there was no easy out.

Lex was Lex. He was cold, calculating and controlling. He'd attempt to manipulate their child with the same ruthless nature that he controlled her. She wouldn't- couldn't- allow it. Just imagining what could possibly be of her child's future made Chloe's gut clench and a knot to form in her throat.

So she'd spent the rest of Saturday morning devising, what she considered, to be the easiest solution for her and her child. She'd redevelop her backbone.

She'd start taking back control- little by little-until she had full control of her life again, and she was going to use Lex's want for a family- an heir- against him.

Sunday morning she took the first step. When Amelia came in to deliver her breakfast, Chloe had already been dressed and ready to go. She'd demanded that a car be brought around. And when Amelia had stuttered and tried to oppose her, she'd simply snarled at her and remained her that she was Mrs. Lex Luthor and no one- especially not some insignificant maid who spied on her for her husband- told her what to do.

Amelia had glared back, but followed orders nonetheless. Chloe had almost cried at accomplishing that small victory.

The second step, more significant and noticeable, was to head to a posh salon and get her hair redone to her liking. She'd had the stylist return it to her natural hair color, removed the extension, and had it cut shoulder-length with side-swept bangs in the front.

All that was left was the third step, and for that she needed to wait until Lex returned. She would wait, she decided, in a scene she could easily manipulate her way. She'd be regally displayed in front of the roaring fireplace, wearing one of the shirts she knew Lex liked seeing her in, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. She imagined the scene- her displayed tall, proud and seemingly a force to be reckoned with.

If it was a war Lex wanted, it was a war he was going to get. There was too much at stake now for her to back down or go quietly without a fight.


	3. What I've Done

**A/N: This chapter is told in Lex's pov and will (hopefully) answer some of the questions you had on your mind... and create a few as well. As always, reviews are my friend, so give me some feedback.**

_**Part 3: What I've Done**_

_Thirteen months prior…_

_Lex was in an irritable mood and his staff knew better then to get in his way. As he marched down the hall towards his office, everyone parted like the red sea- everyone except his secretary who dropped everything she was doing and took off after him when he barked her name._

"_Schedule. Now."_

_His secretary, Lydia, had been in his service for almost a year now. She was a statuesque and smart brunette with a good sense of humor and luscious lips that Lex had originally hired because of her good looks. He had planned on seducing her, but between running Luthercorp and Lana finally returning his attentions, he'd never gotten around to trying anything with her._

_He still found her attractive and ever since his divorce from Lana he had reconsidered trying to seduce her- considering she was the only person under his immediate employment that didn't tremble in his presence._

_And normally he'd call her in for some stupid reason, just to get some face-time with her, but today he was in a foul mood. Something he knew Lydia could tell._

_Flipping the book open to the correct day, she sighed and began to recite his schedule to him. "Meeting with the accounting department at 11, business call to Tokomato Industries at noon, lunch will arrive at 1, and then nothing until five when you have Mason Gordon is stopping by with a business proposal."_

_Lex pursed his lips and glared at Lydia._

"_Cancel it all."_

_Lydia opened her mouth to argue, but rethought it and simply raised an eyebrow. _

"_Would you like me to reschedule it?" She asked in a smooth voice._

"_Reschedule all of it- the next two weeks."_

_That statement did cause Lydia to straighten her posture. "Sir?! Are you alright… is everything okay?"_

_Lex slammed his palms down onto the desk. "Do not question me. Just do as I ask and leave me alone."_

_Lydia nodded quickly, sharply pivoted towards the door and marched out of his office as quickly as she could with slamming the door shut. No matter how rude Lex was sometimes, she knew to never take his moods personally._

_The second he heard the door click into place, Lex let the full force of his feelings hit him._

_Lana Lang: the woman of his dreams, the love of his life, the only Mrs. Lex Luthor he hadn't been annoyed to be with and the mother of his unborn child- was getting married. To the love of her life- Clark Kent._

_She'd announced her engagement to her circle of Metropolis society friends- which she'd meet thanks to Lex and still maintained contact with thanks to the generous divorce settlement- at some luncheon she'd attended yesterday. And the news had spread like wildfire throughout the group._

_The only person who'd been brave enough to tell Lex about the engagement had been his closest- as close as Lex let people become- friend David Harrington. David had tried to make telling Lex quick and painless, but the truth was it was painful regardless. _

_Lex closed his eyes and leaned back in his leather chair._

_He was in love with Lana, and despite their recent divorce, Lex had been planning to try and reconcile. Their separation had been for her benefit- not his- and he'd just assumed that she just needed time and space to get over the miscarriage of their child._

_The divorce had blindsided him- slightly- and he'd understood her motivation. She wanted to know if her and Clark could have worked-out. Had they had a proper chance. So he'd let her go- with a nice divorce settlement- and decided that after a month Lana would discover that life as a farmer's wife would be too much for her delicate senses and return to his side._

_Only now it seemed as if she'd decided that becoming Ms. Suzie Homemaker was her calling in life. _

_Lex sneered in disgust._

_She had twenty million dollars at her disposal and she insisted on doing the housework herself and baking apple and cheery pie to present to the little company that came to visit her and Clark on the Kent Farm._

_He wasn't quite sure which emotion was more prevalent- disgust at seeing at great woman like Lana Lang reduce herself to becoming a Martha Kent clone or sadness at realizing that he had truly lost the one woman he'd ever loved. He had to do something to stop Lana from marrying Clark._

_He rubbed his forehead lightly and racked his brain for every possible option he had to win Lana over. _

_Two days later, after many failed brainstorming attempts and drinking himself within an inch of unconsciousness, Lex realized that the easiest way to force Lana and Clark apart would be to come at both of them from different sized. _

_With Lana he'd try seduction and manipulation- she wasn't smart enough or skilled enough to divert his mental and physical craftiness. With Clark though, the approach had to be indirect. So blackmail was the answer- blackmail of someone he loved._

_The only people important to Clark were Martha, Lana, Chloe and Lois. He couldn't threaten Lana's wellbeing or safety. He doubted he'd get much out of utilizing Martha. Lois he could use, but he wasn't sure how much Clark cared for her or if he could even come up with anything involving Lois. Chloe- her he could use. _

_He knew Clark loved her enough to do- or more importantly give up- anything for her. He had the who. Now the how._

_Suddenly excited, Lex wasted no time in devising a plan to get Lana back. He'd force Chloe into marriage, torture her a little during their marriage, and eventually offer Clark a deal- his happiness with Lana or Chloe freedom from him. Clark- the ever self-sacrificing martyr- would give up his true love to ensure Chloe didn't suffer at Lex's hands._

_It was so perfect that Lex felt as giddy as a child that had been handed a lollipop._

_Twelve months prior…_

_For the first time in a long time, Lex felt totally in his element; Totally in control. For almost the last four months Lex had stalked his prey religiously. He'd followed Chloe everywhere; He could recite her daily schedule backwards and forwards. Chloe Sullivan- soon-to-be-Luthor- was a creature of habit._

_That's how he knew she'd show up at the bar sooner or later. At ten he'd positioned himself at the counter; Ordered a bottle of his favorite scotch, instructed the bartender on what his part of the deal entailed and sat patiently waiting- trying to ignore the anticipation he felt and occasionally taking a sip of the glass before him._

_He knew the second she came in. And not just because the look in the bartender's eyes suddenly shifted. He felt her presence- he'd always been able to feel her near._

_He waited for her to approach, for the witty banter to start and more importantly for his plan to begin. He waited almost like a vicious snake- for that exact moment in which it was the perfect time to strike and inflict the most damage._

_They traded barbs and when the moment- the one glorious moment that he'd been waiting for appeared- presented itself, Lex questioned himself for a second._

_Lex knew he had questionable morals- something Lana had constantly tried to cure him of- but was he really evil enough to do what he was about to do? And then Chloe spoke…_

"_**I'd say it was a pleasure Lex, but we both know it hasn't been. See you at your funeral."**_

…_And he decided he could go through with it after all._

_He'd ambushed her; received a sick, twisted pleasure out of watching the panic appear on her face then recede as the drug started to take their effects. He'd carried her into the car and laid her out like a precious treasure._

_When they arrived outside his penthouse, he cradled her in his arms and up to the top floor. Once in his house, he set her up in a bedroom- directly across from his own. Laid her down gently in the plush bed and stared at her as if she held the keys to his greatest happiness. Which she did._

"_Sir."_

_Lex turned slightly and watched as Amelia stepped forward and awaited orders. It was one of the reasons he liked Amelia; She was capable, followed instructions precisely and kept her mouth shut exactly when she needed to. _

_So Amelia, unlike the rest of the staff that would be attending Chloe, knew not only the circumstances surrounding Chloe's arrival and future confinement in the penthouse, but she also knew the rest of Lex's plans for her. _

"_The new Mrs. Luthor?" _

_Lex nodded._

_Amelia studied her for a second before saying, "She's pretty. Such a pity she's going to have to suffer."_

"_Pity indeed." There was no emotion behind Lex's words. "Amelia, bring me a chair, the papers on my desk and a pen."_

"_Of course sir."_

_Amelia returned shortly with everything Lex had requested. "Now what sir?"_

"_We wait for her to be lucid enough to sign the papers and then your part begins."_

_Amelia nodded. "Yes sir."_

_By passing the chair, Lex sat beside Chloe's body- watching with a fascination he'd never felt before as she breathed in and out._

_Something about watching her lying there- peaceful and innocent- doing something as insignificant as sleeping relaxed Lex immensely. _

_He watched her chest rise and lower. Closed his eyes and for a second imagined a night many years ago- before they'd become enemies. When they were just Chloe and Lex; two friends who were helping each other out. He was protecting her life by hiding her from his farther and she was protecting his future by attempting to remove Lionel from his life._

_Lex opened his eyes and sighed. He was completely at peace now- watching Chloe sleep somehow gave him peace. Watching her like this- unguarded from him and the world- exhilarated him more than anything else ever had._

Lex sighed as the elevator traveled up towards the top floor. He'd been in England for the past four days; Between the mind-numbing businesses transactions, having to readjust his internal clock, the almost nonexistent amount of sleep he'd gotten and the very mysterious calls he kept receiving from Amelia concerning Chloe, Lex was dead tired.

The door slid open and the butler was immediately at his side, pulling the suitcases out of his hands.

"My wife?" He really wasn't in a mood to deal with Chloe and whatever mood- angry, upset, pissed or really pissed- she decided she wanted to hand him.

"Mrs. Luthor has been waiting for you arrival all day Mr. Lex."

Lex raised an eyebrow. Chloe waiting anxiously for him? Not possible.

"Really?"

The butler nodded. Lex rolled his neck to remove the crick that had formed and sighed.

"Okay then, where is she?"

"By the fireplace."

Lex nodded his thanks to the butler as he took off and ventured into his house. He paused in the doorway and contemplated making Chloe wait until tomorrow to discuss whatever it was that was on her mind- after he'd recuperated- but decided to go ahead and get it over with. After all, Amelia had mentioned that Chloe was acting different lately. More aggressive and controlling, she'd said, especially after a visit from Dr. Fredrick.

He found her just where Peter, the butler, had said she'd be; In front of the fireplace, wearing one of the skimpy tops he loved to see her in- when he forced her to wear it- and sipping slowly from her favorite mug. The lights were low and only the lit fire illuminated her.

"Welcome back Lexie."

He cringed; both from the name and from the fact she knew he was there. When had he begun to lose his touch when it came to sneaking around her?

"Nice to see you honey." Lex walked forward briskly, bent down and quickly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Peter said you've been waiting for me."

He watched Chloe take a sip of her drink and look up at him through lashes.

"Yep."

He waited for her to continue, but grew impatient when she refused to elaborate.

"Okay then." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "What for?"

Chloe placed her mug on the carpet- his expensive, white Burberry carpets; likely to leave a stain- and motioned for him to sit on the floor with her.

Lex scoffed his distaste, but still obeyed her unspoken command.

"What do you want Chloe?" Lex rubbed his neck slightly. "I'm tired and I am defiantly not in the mood for one of your ridiculous demands."

He watched a Chloe shot him a small smirk and leaned forward slightly; enough to afford him a view of her vast cleavage. Lex didn't waste her unknown effort- after all he was an incredibly sexual male and Chloe, despite her personality problem, was an incredibly attractive woman.

For a second Lex's mind flashed back to the night of Lana and Clark's wedding, to the moment when Chloe had grabbed his face and crushed her lips to his. She'd performed a move then similar to the one she'd just pulled. He really hoped she'd been drinking something like coffee and not a scotch.

As if reading his mind, Chloe leaned forward even more and pursed her lips.

"Don't worry Lex. It's just hot chocolate."

Lex just nodded.

"We need to talk Lex."

Lex sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So I've understood Chloe. Just get on with it."

"I'm taking back control of my life."

Lex didn't react. He expected that sooner or later she'd re-grow her backbone. After all, his attempts to control her actions- both through blackmail and manipulation- would eventual run their course and she'd grow sick of them.

But somehow he could sense that this was more than just her being tired of his blackmailing. She had a secret weapon, one she planned to reveal and utilize soon.

"Okay Chloe." He was going to treat this like a business deal. He was going to bargain his way out of disaster. "What do you want?"

He racked his brain for what she could possible want from him. A divorce was his first thought. Money was the second. Maybe he'd try offering her a job at The Daily Planet to quell over things between them.

Chloe snickered meanly at him. "I don't want a divorce Lex."

Lex tensed at her words. Know he didn't know what to think. He'd always assumed the second she could she'd ask for the divorce.

Lex was scared. Right now, he couldn't predict Chloe like he had always been able to before. That's what had always made controlling her easy- he could outmaneuver her.

Lex waited for her to continue.

"I want my freedom back. I want to be able to visit Lois whenever I choose. I want free reign over everything you own. I want choice as to when and who I socialize with. I want to dress as I please, but most importantly I want you to stop trying to control me."

Lex turned his head slightly and scoffed. That's when it caught his eye.

Her hair.

She'd changed her hair while he was gone. A part of Lex was nostalgic; it'd been so long since he'd seen that hair color on her. He kind of missed it. The other part of Lex was worried now; Chloe was obviously serious if she'd reverted back to her natural hair color. This was her first defiance in over eight months.

He narrowed his gaze at her. At his gaze Chloe ran her fingers through her tresses.

"You like?"

Lex continued to glare at her. When he finally spoke to her his voice was low and dangerous.

"What makes you think I will go along with your demands anyway?"

He watched Chloe look away, close her eyes for a second and take a deep breath. Whatever her secret weapon was, she was about to divulge it.

"You will do as I ask because I have something you want Lex." Lex raised an eyebrow into where his hairline would be if he had one.

"Really?" Lex mocked. "What on earth can you have that I possibly want?"

Chloe straighten her spine and stared him down. "I'm pregnant Lex."

Even though Lex felt his heart stop, he strived not to change his outward appearance.

She was pregnant. With his child. The child he'd been yearning for since Lana miscarried.

Lex couldn't stop the tugging at the corner of his mouth, trying to curve his otherwise straight mouth into a smile.

It had worked. After almost a year of planning- though four months later then he'd originally planned it- it had happened. Even though he had been anticipating it for so long- been prepared for it from the very beginning- it didn't change the swelling of joy he felt when Chloe uttered the words he had been waiting to hear.

Lex shifted his gaze back to Chloe. She looked determined- almost as if she had another bomb to throw on his head.

"I'm pregnant Lex." She repeated with a more resolved voice than before. "And either you return to me my freedom or…"

Part of him thought she paused for effect.

"Or I'll have an abortion." She finished in a quick, low and vicious tone.

This time Lex couldn't school his reaction. It felt- and he looked- as if he'd been punched in the gut by Superman.


	4. Do Something

A/N: Not extremely happy with this chapter, but hopefully you enjoy it.

_**Part 4: Do Something**_

_Eleven months prior…_

_After Lex had caught her snooping in his office, Chloe had done one of the few things she was allowed to do within the confines of the penthouse. She'd marched right back to her room, cried until she couldn't produce anymore tears and fallen into a fitful sleep. When she woke up, the sun had already set and Lex was seated at the edge of her bed, seemingly lost in his thoughts._

"_Nice to see you awake after, what I'm sure, was a stellar crying fit."_

_Pulling her body up into a sitting position, Chloe reclined against the headboard and waited for whatever it was Lex wanted to communicate to her._

"_From what Amelia tells me, you've been locked in your room all day." Lex scooted closer. "What's got you so blue pussycat?"_

_Chloe crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Lex. "Can you stop mocking me and say whatever you wanted to say."_

_Lex nodded. "Okay then. We need to discuss what happened earlier today."_

"_You mean when I broke into your office and found out your diabolic plan to win back the pink princess?"_

"_Why Chloe, you sound bitter." Lex smirked. "I really can't have you snooping around while I am at the office or causing trouble for me in the rare occasions I deem you fit to leave this penthouse at my side."_

_Lex sounded slightly amused and Chloe was anything but. She wanted to jump him; pin him to the floor and pound her fits into his chest and face until huge purple bruises formed and marred his perfect features. Chloe rolled her eyes at her thoughts. Lex might find the bruises appealing- they would be in his preferred color and he might mistake the abuse for affection._

"_What are you going to do about it Lex? You can't stop me or control me." Chloe glared hard at Lex. "I'm going to make your life a living hell Luthor." Chloe surprised herself and Lex by growling at the end of her statement._

_Standing up, she watched Lex head to her dresser and pick up a folder. "You will comply with my whim…" Lex set his lips in a thin line and tossed the folder in Chloe's lap. "Because if you don't I will reveal all I know about Clark."_

_Chloe felt the breath leave her lungs. Lex couldn't possibly know anything. He was bluffing. Her finger worked as fast as possible to secure the folder and open it. Her eyes scanned the pictures as fast as they could and she flipped through them quickly- scattering the slightly in her lap._

"_You know," Her voice was no louder than a whisper. "You know Clark's secret."_

"_Yes my dear Mrs. Luthor, I do."_

_Chloe cringed- both for her sake and for Clark's. They were screwed- beyond royally screwed- and now she was going to have to talk terms with Lex._

_Hastily grabbing the pics and shoving them back into the folder, Chloe fixed her gaze on Lex. Her gaze didn't show that she was terrified or resigned; her face imitated Lex's when he was dealing with Lionel._

"_Okay Lex, what do you want?"_

"_I want you submissive and obedient. In every aspect I ask you to be so in."_

_Chloe nodded. "I want those pictures destroyed- all originals, copies and negatives."_

_Lex quirked an eyebrow. "Are you making demands?"_

_Chloe gritted her teeth. "Of course not. Just in return for my deference to you I would like something as well."_

_She watched Lex mull it over before he conceded. "Okay, I'll destroy the proof… when your useful ends."_

_Chloe nodded again. "Deal." She waited for Lex to retreat and when he didn't she couldn't stop the snarkiness that left her mouth. "What Luthor, waiting for a friendly handshake to seal the deal? Maybe afterwards converse over chocolate cake and coffee?"_

_Lex's eyes quickly flicked over her form, lingering on her breast and thighs._

"_I can think of a better way to seal the deal."_

_Chloe rolled her eyes. Pulling herself out of bed, she walked past him- making sure her shoulder slammed into his- and walked towards the bathroom._

"_You have a better chance of sleeping with Clark then you do of sleeping with me."_

_She shut the door to the bathroom before he could answer. Leaning against the door, Chloe sighed. She was now defiantly stuck in this marriage with Lex. The knowledge that Lex possessed was a dangerous weapon- if he decided to use it. She needed to get a message to Clark soon. She needed to warn him._

_She heard a tap on the door she was currently leaning against. Wiping away tears she hadn't realized she'd shed, she opened the door slightly to find Lex still on the other side._

"_What?"_

"_Just thought I'd add one more thing before our discussion tonight ended." She watched as Lex tried to contain a snicker, but failed miserably. "The information you lifted off my computer this morning was a plant."_

_In that moment Chloe wanted to do nothing more than pop Lex in the face. One time, with her killer right hook._

"_Just thought you would like to know."_

_Chloe swiftly shut the door in his face. She really wished Lex would die already._

_**Present**_

Chloe studied Lex's reaction carefully.

"**I'm pregnant Lex."**

For a second she braced herself for his fury, or maybe some disbelief and disdain, but she was puzzled by Lex's happiness. When the smile appeared on his face, she got concerned. She kept her face neutral, but her mind began racing. What the fuck was he so happy for?

She tried not to lean forward, but she immediately began to search his eyes. The pupils weren't dilated, he didn't reek of scotch or smell like pot. He wasn't an imitator or a clone. She understood Lex desire for a child- his family was a massive mess- and had she been Lana, his reaction would have been expected.

But she wasn't Lana 'every man's dream' Lang- a fact that Lex had made all too clear to her.

Chloe decided to push away Lex's reaction to the news for a second and steeled herself for what she was going to say next.

"**I'm pregnant Lex." She repeated with a more resolved voice than before. "And either you return to me my freedom or…"**

Chloe paused. Inside her there was an internal battle being fought. Part of her felt bad for what she was about to do- even if Lex had been awful to her, he didn't deserve for her to threaten his child like she was about to do- and on the other hand part of her felt in control, for the first time in almost a year. She felt like she was holding all the cards- had found a way to successfully rig a game in her favor.

She brushed aside her feelings of pity for Lex. Aside from the few shinning hour when they'd consummated their marriage, Lex had not been tender or delicate with her or her feelings. She shouldn't consider being considerate in this situation.

And even though in the two days since she'd learned about the baby she'd become attached to it- and would never actually be able to abort it- she needed to believably deliver her the next line or she had just lost the only advantage she had ever had. The freedom was so close she could practically taste it.

"**Or I'll have an abortion."**

She tried to sound as vicious as possible; Poured in all the hate, frustration and helplessness she'd felt over the past year and channeled it all into that one statement.

She observed Lex's response to her final statement and was more confused than before. He looked as if he was in pain- as if she had just ripped out his heart and was holding just out of reach, taunting him with it.

She and Lex just sat there, silently, for almost half an hour before Lex spoke up.

"Okay Chloe. Whatever you want- whatever demand you make- I submit myself to your wishes."

He looked so broken and defeated that Chloe let her hardened face de-thaw slightly.

"Good." She scooted further away, and for a second considered just leaving it at that, but one look at Lex's face and she couldn't stop the mount of words that came spilling out. "I'm almost eight weeks pregnant. From what Fredrick can tell, I'm healthy and so is the baby. My first doctor's appointment hasn't been scheduled yet and at that time he'll run all the necessary tests to make sure everything is moving along well. I'm not showing yet and won't be showing for another five or six weeks."

Lex didn't move a muscle- and from what Chloe could tell, he was hardly breathing.

"Thank you."

He said it so softly that for a moment she thought that she'd imagined it. But she hadn't.

Chloe sighed. She'd done her saintly duty for the day by being remotely nice to Lex, especially after all the crap he'd mounted on her over the past months. She picked up her mug and got up intent on heading to her room. She'd almost completely exited the living room when Lex stopped her.

"Would you have really done it?" His voice had gone back to its normal hard tone. "Would you really have had an abortion?"

Lex's eyes held Chloe's. They were silently begging her to say it wasn't true- that she would keep their baby no matter what.

But Chloe knew that if she confirmed that it she'd lose the only advantage she would ever have to beat Lex at whatever game he was currently playing. His original game had already come to its conclusion at the Kent-Lang Wedding and she had yet to discover his new one, but she needed to lie to him in order to preserve herself. And save their child from the potentially dangerous- and more demanding- monster Lex could become.

Chloe bore her eyes right back at Lex's. "Yeah Lex. I would love to tell you it was all a crock of shit, but truth is I would have." And just to twist the knife in further, she added, "And I wouldn't have regretted it. You are a bastard Lex and you should be thankful that I even told you. I could have just aborted the thing myself and saved myself the trouble."

She was being excessively cruel, but it seemed to be the only language Lex understood.

Lex nodded. She hoped he believed her.

_Two months prior…_

_The Kent-Lang wedding was today and so, in preparation for what was sure to be an unforgettable occasion, Lex had relocated them to the manor. Despite reservations involving Lex- and his past relationship with both the bride and groom- Martha Kent had been gracious enough to drop by with an invitation to the "blessed event" for Chloe Sullivan and her date._

_Clark, Lana and Lois still refused to acknowledge her marriage to Lex. They were patiently waiting for the divorce papers to be filed._

_Now, two hours prior to the start of the wedding, Chloe found herself checking out her reflect in the mirror. The lavender dress Lex had provided for her- Chloe rolled her eyes at his obvious display of ownership over her and at the jab towards Clark- was short, clingy and probably worth more than Lana's wedding gown._

_Her hair was pinned away from her face and styled to accent her teardrop earrings and the diamond necklace Lex had bestowed upon her as a gift for "having played her part."_

_There was one thing that brightened Chloe's deposition about having to sit through, what would most likely be, the biggest, pinkest and cheesiest matrimonial display she would ever witness. After tonight it would be over. After tonight she'd go back to being plain old Chloe Sullivan- top-notch investigative reporter, best friend to Clark and Lois, and most importantly, free as a jaybird._

_After making sure that she looked acceptable by Luthor standards, she went to go find Lex. She found him five minutes later in the study pouring himself a scotch._

"_Wow Luthor, two hours until the wedding and you're already drinking away the shakes. Nervous?"_

_She knew if Lex was the type of person to roll his eyes, then he would have._

"_Hardly Soon-to-be-ex-Mrs. Luthor."_

_Chloe cracked a smile. Hearing Lex utter those words gave her an almost unexplainable high. _

"_It's Ms. Sullivan to you Mr. Luthor." She walked over to the wet bar and poured herself a generous amount of scotch in a tumbler. "Let's toast," she plopped herself down across from him on the couch and raised her glass. "To our future and mutually decided upon divorce. Past today, may I never be subjected to being in your presence again."_

_Lex tilted his glass towards her._

_Even though Chloe hated scotch and it burned her throat as she swallowed it all down, it was symbolic for her drink it. Tonight would be the first- and only time- she'd drink the obscenely expensive Luthor preferred poison of choice. Come tomorrow, she'd be back in Metropolis: crashing on the floor of Lois' flat and waiting desperately to sign on the dotted line._

_She held out the glass in Lex's general direction and rattled the ice cubes together. "Refill please?" She pouted._

_Lex seemed to consider it for a moment before grabbing her glass and getting up to refill it. He returned it seconds later to her three quarters of the way full._

_Chloe quirked an eyebrow at him. "Trying to get me drunk?"_

"_Hardly my dear. I have no use for you drunk and stumbling about during my moment of triumph."_

_She sipped her drink slowly. She really should have eaten something before deciding to drink._

"_So today is it huh? All the gifts and attention granted upon Lana have finally paid off and she has decided to fall into your arms."_

_Lex smirked. "Something to that effect."_

"_So why are we showing up to this thing then if Lana's just going to leave Clark at the altar?"_

_This time Lex actually let out a laugh and Chloe followed. At that moment Chloe decided that the liquor was starting to go to her head. She set the glass down on the floor and leaned forward towards Lex._

"_What's the plan Dr. Evil?" She whispered._

_Lex leaned forward and whispered back. "Not telling."_

_They were staring at each other, lips only inches apart and Chloe suddenly felt a pang in her chest._

"_I think I'm really super drunk," she whispered. "Because for a second there, I developed Stockholm Syndrome and actually felt like I might miss you after this ended."_

_Lex raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything._

_Maybe it was that she was drunk or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't had sex- or any other type of physical contact with any man- in fifteen months, but Chloe suddenly wanted to kiss Lex's perfectly shaped lips. Wanted to reach out and touch him; run her hands all over his body and have his hands run all over hers in return._

_So even though there were alarms going off in her head, and she knew she'd regret it later, Chloe leaned forward and tentatively pressed her lips against his._

_It took him a few seconds, but when Lex finally responded it was explosive. Their lips mashed together passionately and Chloe let out a little moan. Lex reached out to grab her upper arms and pulled her forward until she was firmly settled on his lap._

_I must be really drunk, Chloe thought as Lex's hands held her face in place and her own hands worked their way under his jacket._

_Lex pulled back for a second and his grey-blue eyes searched hers for some sort of explanation. After all, they were mortal enemies who'd never shown each other any sexual interest. So why mess up that established peace now, right when they were about to get rid of each other?_

_Chloe tried to think of all the reasons why they shouldn't have sex. They hated each other. He was in love with Lana. He was morally corrupt and she wasn't. Her hair would get ruined…_

_After several seconds Chloe realized two things; one was that she was truly too drunk to think straight and the second thing was that she was incredibly horny._

_So she made-up her mind quickly, palmed Lex's face and smashed her lips back against his. Tomorrow she would just blame it all on the alcohol and for the rest of her life pretend it never happened. Tonight she would let go of her inhibitions and give herself over to Lex Luthor's very skilled and capable hands._


	5. Blurry

**_A/N:_** This chapter is a continuation of the last chapter, only in Lex's pov. It is also the last chapter this month; the next one will be sometime in July. I REALLY hope you enjoy this one- I wrote, rewrote and editing one more time. I think it will answers almost all of your questions about Lex/Chloe's past leading to the beginning of the story. This chapter is named after a puddle of mud song. Enjoy!

_**Chapter 5: Blurry**_

_Two months prior…_

_Even with both hands occupied, mouth firmly latched onto the hollow of Chloe's neck and navigating a semi-stumbling girl through the maze of corridors, Lex was a master at making sure he advance towards his final destination: his plush, silk sheeted bed._

_He wasn't sure what had sparked Chloe's sudden interest in having sex with him- just as their entanglements with each other where about to end- but frankly Lex didn't care. Chloe was attractive, passionate and willing member of the opposite sex. Most importantly, she was his wife and technically it was within her job description to have sex with him._

_So now that she willing to entertain him sexually, he didn't care whether she was drunk or stoned. She was incredibly eager- if her roaming hands pulling at his clothes were any indication._

"_Lex…" Chloe moaned and pushed her chest more firmly into his. "Please, bed. Now."_

_He didn't need to be asked twice._

_Kicking the door shut with his right foot, he stopped long enough to squat down slightly and place both his hands under Chloe's buttocks. He hoisted her up and against him, thrilled when she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kept walking until his knees hit the edge of the mattress and promptly dropped her onto the mattress; Their limbs easily untangling from each other._

_Chloe let out a drunken giggle as her body bounced once on the mattress and when she had finally settled on it- lying back with her arms at her side and legs slightly spread, she peered at him through half-hooded eyes and crooked her finger at him in a "come hither" expression. _

_For a second Lex actually wanted to laugh. Wanted to call a timeout like Zach did in Save By The Bell and analyze the situation thoroughly before proceeding._

_There he was: thoroughly kissed, extremely aroused and incredibly perplexed as to why his ice queen of a soon-to-be-ex-wife was now going to let him fuck her brains out. It was in one word completely… surreal. _

_Chloe must be tremendously drunk Lex decided._

_For a second that inner voice, the one that he thought had disappeared long ago, spoke to him. Told him it was wrong to take advantage of Chloe in her current state. She was not in her right mind, the voice tried to reason, it would be morally repugnant to bury himself inside her, carry out the other half of his plan and then immediately dump her to rush right back into Lana's arms._

_That made him still. The other half of his plan. The part where he took advantage of Chloe and with some assistance- in the form of Luthorcorp manufactured fertility pills- impregnated her and then bargained an exchange with Clark- releasing Chloe in exchange for Clark breaking his commitment to Lana._

_Of course, in his original plan, this event- finally consummating his marriage with Chloe- would have happened months prior, ensuring that Chloe was pregnant before he negotiated with Clark. No matter though, he resolved, he would complete the task now and then, armed with the knowledge that Chloe was most likely pregnant, proceed to prevent Lana from bounding herself to Clark._

_He focused his attention back on Chloe, who was seductively draped at the edge of the bed rubbing her thighs together and waiting expectantly for him to progress things. _

_So here he was at a crossroad. He could take option A- sleep with Chloe, carry-out his plan and get Lana back, or he could take option B- sleep with Chloe, forget his plan with Lana and strive towards the family he had always dreamed of with his wife._

_One thing was for sure though. Both plans involved fucking Chloe. So he'd do that now and worry about everything else later._

_He felt Chloe's leg slid up his thigh and come to rest on the hard bulge in his pants._

"_Are you done mentally examining every aspect of this? Can we get to the good part already?" She was biting her lip anxiously and her eyes were racking over his body._

"_Yes."_

"_So…" She propped herself up on her elbows and her eyes twinkled. "What's the verdict? Am I getting some assistance with my orgasm this evening or should I use my hands?"_

"_No need to use your hands, you can use mine."_

_Chloe smiled- genuinely smiled, not seductively or deviously- and started to take her hair down from the pins that confined it in its dignified twist. Then she took off her earrings._

"_All that time spent perfecting your appearance wasted?"_

_Reaching over and setting the pins on the nightstand, Chloe chuckled. "As long as you don't smudge my makeup, it's all good. I can easily redo my do… the makeup on the other hand will be tougher."_

_Lex nodded and removed his cufflinks, setting them beside her hairpins. "I'll try my best not to ruin it."_

"_Good. Now come here."_

_She fully sat up and stretched her arms out to grab the front of his shirt; He'd lost his jacket somewhere between the study and the bedroom. Hopefully one of the maids found it, picked up and hung it for him._

_Her hands worked franticly to pull his shirt tails out of his pants and her fingers maneuvered themselves quickly to unbutton his shirt. Once it was unbuttoned, Lex helped her push the shirt off his shoulders._

"_Wow." Chloe gasped, reaching forward to stroke his chest with her fingertips. "I knew you worked out, but you're in better shape then I imagined."_

_Lex quirky his right eyebrow. "Really? You imagined my body?"_

_Chloe rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle. "Of course silly. I may have wanted to stab a knife through your heart- at night, while you were sleeping peacefully in your bed next door- but I'm not blind to how attractive you are." She leaned forward slightly, the flaps of her halter parting and giving Lex a nice shot of her cleavage. _

"_I know you've thought about it Lexie." Had he not been distracted by her chest, Lex would have cringed at the name. Her voice had dropped timber and taken on a slightly seductive tone. "You may be in love with Lana all you want, but you desire me. Because I'm passionate and exciting and your last wife," she sneered. "Was demure and pristine and quiet. You probably haven't had a good fuck in a while."_

_Lex was shocked by Chloe's words- honestly astounded by thoughts he didn't know she'd been having. Apparently she was talkative while under the influence._

"_Interesting assumptions."_

_Chloe reached around and unhooked the halter, watching Lex's expression carefully as she bared her breasts to him._

"_So, are we doing this or what Luthor?" She practically purred at him._

"_Definitely." _

_He leaned over and fiercely locked his lips with hers. Their lips slanted over each other firmly and Lex snaked his tongue out, pushed past her plump lips and tangled their tongues._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and hooked her legs over his, pulling his body over hers. She ground her hips against his shamelessly._

_She let out little mewing sounds as Lex worked one hand over her breast- alternatively kneading them softy with his fingertips and pinching the nipples- while moving his lips across her neck and nipping at her flesh._

"_God." Chloe released a satisfied sigh. "Keep going."_

_Lex's other hand pressed against her thighs, working its way up her body and dragging the hem of her expensive custom made dress up. Removing one hand from his neck, Chloe covered the hand on her thighs and moved it until it was over her center._

_She made a little grunt as Lex's fingers began to stroke her over her underwear._

_She pushed him away from him, and for a second Lex thought she had reconsidered having sex with him. Instead she used her hands to shimmy out of her dress, pushing down her underwear as well._

_There she was completely naked- except for her necklace- spread out on his bed and waiting for him. It was… exhilarating._

_They locked eyes and silently communicated with each other. She pulled him back to her and began working on getting rid of his belt and working him out of his trousers. He began pushing his feet out of his shoes and then proceeded to shove the remained of his clothing- trousers, boxers and socks- off of his flesh._

_He didn't have to check if she was wet. She was too worked up not to be. He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her further onto the bed. Until they were both situated in the middle, his body completely covering hers._

"_Did you need more foreplay?"_

_He knew he really should work her into a frenzy using his fingers and his mouth, but if he planned on disrupting Lana's wedding- which he still had yet to decide what course of action he would take after they had had sex- they need to do it now and he needed to have enough time to make it to the wedding._

_Chloe giggled like a naughty schoolgirl with a dirty secret- she was obviously still drunk- and nodded no._

_He took hold of his penis, lined it with her entrance and thrust inside her before Chloe had a chance to blink._

_She let out a moan of approval and clenched her legs around his hips. Lex waited a second before he started thrust wildly into her and she bucked against him with as much ferocity._

_She clawed at his back, worked her hands over his back and lightly brushed his smooth scalp._

"_Your bald head is SO sexy." Chloe groaned out amidst the thrusts. "In fact, I think you'd be less sexy if you had hair. I want to lick your scalp one day. It's a fantasy of mine."_

_Lex wanted to laugh out loud. And he would have, if it wouldn't have ruined the moment. Only Chloe could form a sentence like that at a time like this._

_Chloe tightened around him and bucked her hips roughly against his own._

_Lex tried to contain his grunts of pleasure. He had not had a great lay like Chloe in so long- since before he started courting Lana._

_His orgasm was approaching, and from the way that Chloe was thrashing wildly beneath him, he knew hers was looming close as well._

_He pulled their pelvises closer, changing the angle of his thrusts, and then he felt her shatter underneath him. The sensation, combined with the sounds she was making and the expression on her face, triggered his own reaction._

_Neither of them uttered the other's name; It would have been too hypocritical of them to do so. They didn't love each other- or even tolerate one another- and past this one time, he doubted it would ever happen again. So they both just grunted and moaned out loud as they climaxed and then came off their high._

_Lex rolled off her- sexually satisfied and physically tired. He glanced at the watch and saw that the wedding would start in a little more than half an hour. Plenty of time to hurl his bombs at Clark and Lana, and walk away with the ex- and also future Mrs. Luthor._

"_Chloe," She rolled over to look at him through heavy eyelids. Her hair was matted to her forehead in chunky clumps. Little beads of sweat had formed around her collarbone and her skin was flushed a lovely rosy color._

"_Yeah." _

_He could tell she was barely awake. Good. With any luck she would skip the wedding altogether._

"_The wedding is starting soon."_

_She muttered something._

"_Are you going?"_

_This time she actually managed to get a coherent sentence out. "Nope. I'm going to stay here- bask in the post-coital bliss of an orgasm, come down off my drunken stupor and celebrate the ending of our hellish union."_

_Lex studied her. She looked almost giddy to the point of loony. She was obviously taking this as their final meeting and residing under the same roof._

_Lex wanted to stay and savor his orgasm, but alas he had things to do. He hurled himself upright and out of bed. He gathered all his clothes quickly and shoved himself back into them. He checked himself once in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable and then took off for the Kent farm._

_It wasn't hard to locate Lana. She was in Clark's old bedroom, primping in front of the mirror to ensure she looked one hundred percent radiant as she walked towards the love of her life._

_Lex admired her- standing there in her modest spaghetti strap dress, with her hair in a beautifully done French twist and a modest veil covering her elegantly painted face._

_She was glowingly, ethereally beautiful._

_She noticed him in her mirror and whipped around so fast so almost lost her balance._

"_Lex," She gasped. "What are you doing here?"_

_He stepped forward, placed his hands on her shoulders- a move she didn't shy away from- and stared deeply, lovingly into her eyes._

"_I just wanted to see the most beautiful woman I've ever met on her wedding day." Lex slid his hands to cup her face delicately. "You look lovely Lana."_

_Lana's eyes soften towards Lex._

"_Thank you. For being here, despite our differences, and for being so nice and gracious right now. Especially with the way things between us ended…"_

_Lex felt the familiar feeling well-up inside his chest; Start near his heart and then pleasantly wash over his entire being. The feeling he always received when Lana was within his grasp. An emotional mixture of bittersweet longing and unimaginable blissful. An almost unbelievable feeling of euphoria- like possessing the ability to fly or winning the lottery._

_He really wanted to pull her face close, basket in the warmth of her flesh and indulge in the sweet taste of his mouth slanting over hers. He wanted to hold her tight, run his hands all over her sides and feel the heat of her body curled next to his own. He wanted to tuck her into his body until it was impossible to distinguish where she ended and he began._

_Instead he politely smiled at her. He imparted onto her false well-wishes and tenderly kissed her cheek- lingering longer than socially politely acceptable._

_And then he was off to find Clark and finish off this plan once and for all. He found his ex-bosom buddy in his personal domain, overseeing the wedding site and observing the guests as they mingled and waited for the wedding to start. He had only minutes to execute his plan._

"_Clark."_

_He knew Clark wasn't surprised by his presence. After all, super hearing was one of his many powers._

"_Lex." Clark returned evenly. "What are you doing here? Where's Chloe?"_

_Lex had been looking for an opening and without coaxing Clark had presented him one. Now was the time to place the final stroke to his plan and achieve everything he'd been working for._

"_My wife is at the manor, recovering from overexertion." Lex showed Clark a dubious smile. "I don't know if she's informed you that she's pregnant."_

_He saw Clark stiffen and his eyes widen to the size of saucers._

_Clark shook his head. "You're lying. Chloe would never let you touch her."_

_Lex's smile only widened._

"_She did and she is."_

_It wasn't a total lie. More than likely, thanks to the supercharged Luthorcorp vitamins he'd had Amelia crush into her food over the last couple of months, there was a ninety-eight percent chance she was pregnant._

_Clark seemed to stutter over his thoughts. The pain was clearly etched over his face. He probably viewed this revelation as a betrayal. He also probably felt guilty over it. Good. He needed Clark to play the martyr and sacrifice his love for Lana to save Chloe from all the dangers remaining at his side would befall her._

"_I'm sure you're well aware of the… conditions Chloe's been living in as my wife."_

_Suddenly fire blazed in Clark's green eyes._

"_Of course we know of the way you've had Chloe locked up. Away from me and Lois. Controlling her life and making her miserable Lex."_

"_Well," Lex knew he had to play this right or else all his work would be for nothing. "I've decided that I'm willing to return to her her freedom. In exchange for something else."_

_Clark gritted his teeth and fisted his hands at his sides. "What do you want?"_

"_I want you to leave Lana and never see her again."_

_He could tell Clark hadn't been expecting that as a trade-off for Chloe. Save his best friend from damnation or renounce his love for Lana. He couldn't have both._

"_Now before you make a rash decision," Lex rushed on before Clark could speak or even think about it further than the few seconds he had had to contemplate it already. "Think about it very carefully. You can let Lana go, let her rush back into my arms and have her be taken care of. Treated like a queen and loved more than any other woman on this earth." His voice got harsh. "Or you can keep Lana and leave Chloe by my side. But I can assure you Clark that I will make her life a living hell. I will take that child away from her the second she gives birth and never let her see it again."_

_Clark visibly paled._

_Lex had presented the choices. Now it was time to choose._

_He watched Clark struggle with the decision, with a look as if the weight of the world was upon his shoulders. And then he finally spoke up._

"_Okay Lex. I'll break things off with Lana." He looked as if he was in physical pain as he spoke the words. "I'll go tell her now."_

_Clark started to head out of the loft, but Lex grabbed his arm and stopped him._

"_No. You leave now and return in a couple of weeks. Chloe will be free and Lana will be over you."_

_Clark looked like he was going to argue, but then he just sighed and resigned himself to what Lex was telling him to do. He marched out of the loft and then used his super speed to zoom away. Now he just had to wait for Lana to fall apart._

_He found Lana an hour later, on the back forty of the Kent Farm, attempting to not let the pain show._

_Her dress was mud-caked, her mascara was streaked down her cheeks and her lovely hair was in disarray. Even so pathetically miserable, she was still gorgeous to him._

_She was seated in the mud, staring blankly into space. He took a seat next to her- not caring that his fifty thousand dollar suit was now ruined- and pulled her into his side. She let the dam of tears break and began convulsed with grief into his side._

"_God Lex," She screamed through tears. "He left me. In my wedding dress. Without saying a word."_

_Lex wanted to sympathized, but he couldn't. He was too giddy. _

_It had all worked out. Clark was gone, Lana was vulnerable and Chloe was unknowingly incubating a child for him and Lana to start their family with. Everything was right with the world._

_He kissed the crown of her head and waited until the sobs subsided._

"_I would have never done that to you Lana." He whispered it to her. He wanted to sound gentle and compassionate. "I would have loved you and treated you like the goddess you are."_

_He tilted her face towards him until they could lock eyes and tried to silently imprint his sentiments into her mind._

"_You left my side to be with him, but look where you ended up. Broken by his hand as always. I love you Lana. I still love you. I'll always love you." He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "Why don't you just forget about Clark and come home? To me and the family we could have together?"_

_Lana looked at him through thick lashes and for a second he flashed back to Chloe's husky eyes as she lay wantoningly beneath him, flashing him a similar look of tenderness mixed with distress. He pushed that thought away quickly and returned to the issue at hand._

"_What about Chloe?"_

_Lex cupped her face affectionately and brought their faces within centimeters of each other._

"_I don't love her. She was a cheap replacement for you. I only ever wanted you."_

_He pressed his lips against his softly and waited for some type of response. Lana was tentative and only briefly moved her lips against his before moving away._

"_I can't Lex." He felt his heart shatter like delicate crystal. "Not right now at least. I need to leave Smallville for a little while. Examine my feelings and get sense of self."_

_She pulled her body out of the crook of his body._

"_I do love you Lex… some part of me always will. But I don't know if I can just jump from Clark's bed into yours again."_

_He wanted to rage out at her, 'But you jumped from mine into his so easily. ' He knew it was true, but he also knew he couldn't admit it out loud. He would definitely lose her then. So he just curled inside himself- like a lost and frightened little boy- and waited for her to finish._

_She pressed a kiss to his cheek and stood up. "I'll be back. And when I come back we can talk about us. If we have a future or not; If you still want to."_

_Lex nodded, knowing if he used his voice he would breakdown and cry. He needed a minute to process and contain the emotion that was threatening to leak out._

"_I'll see you around Lex." Lana started to head back to the house, never bothering to turn around and look back at him._

_He sat in the mud for almost an hour before he had the nerve to move._

_The drive back to the manor had been suffocatingly quiet and right now Lex knew his thoughts were his own worst enemy. So he did the only thing he could do when affronted with an uncontrollable crisis- he found something else to focus on._

_He found Chloe in her room, sauntering around like an excited hummingbird and packing her bags with care despite her rush._

_She spotted him and despite the animosity that existed between them, she flashed him a bright smile._

"_Hey Lexie-boy. I'm almost done packing." She pulled more clothes into her suitcase before shutting it. "I can secure my own ride home."_

_He didn't say a word, just let her prattle on._

_She looked elated. Her body language characterized her pleasant mood and her smile seemed to illuminate the room. She was freshly showered, her skin still slightly damp and her chestnut colored hair neatly combed back and glistening wet._

_He watched her pick up her suitcase and purse and turn to look at him. "So the divorce papers will come in the mail, I suppose. I hope you and Lana have a gloriously rotten life blissfully together." She even flashed him a smile at the end- not a nice one, but definitely not a mean one. Indifferent was more like it._

_The sting of her words hit him like a ton of bricks._

_He was losing her for Lana, but Lana wasn't here beside him. She was most likely miles away from Smallville, headed to God knows where, to recover from the loss of the man of her life. She hadn't accepted him as easily as he had expected. She'd rejected him instead of opting back to a life beside him, where her every need and whim was met._

"_No."_

_Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. Have your lawyers call me with a date to sign the divorce papers."_

_She started to head for the door, but Lex violently gripped her arms as she passed by._

"_I said no."_

_Chloe lost her grip on the suitcase, but maintained eye contact. The only sounds in the room where the reverberating clang of her suitcase hitting the hard floor and their combined harsh breathing mingling together. _

"_What the hell is your problem Luthor?" She snapped as she narrowed her eyes at him. "We had a deal remember. Our contract ends today."_

_He fisted her upper arms harder, likely leaving a bruise on her pale flesh._

"_Listen to me Chloe Sullivan," He hissed. "I make the rules here, not you and I've decided to take back my promise of letting our marriage end now."_

_Chloe struggled against his hands._

"_You can't do that!" She screamed. "You promised." She tried to beat her fists against his chest, but he had too firm of a grip on her arms. "You promised! It ends today!"_

_He could see the tears bubbling up. They started to slip out of her eyes, but her voice remained steady._

"_You can't do this Lex. Let me go please. Please!" She implored. _

_Her eyes were wild and tear-filled, her nose was beginning to run and her words sounded desperate now._

"_Please!"_

_He released her, hurling towards the mattress. She ended up collapsing on the floor a few feet away._

"_No Mrs. Luthor. There will be no divorce, at least not yet." He spoke with such authority that he sounded like his was addressing the board of Luthorcorp. "We will stay in Smallville one more night then head back to Metropolis tomorrow. Dinner will be in an hour. Show up if you like- I could care less either way."_

_He started to march towards the door. The only sounds in the room where the click of his shoes against the castle floor and her sobs bouncing off the walls into his ears. He stopped at the door and turned to face her._

"_Oh, one more thing." Chloe looked up at him, her face completely broken and her eyes silently begging him to reconsider; To let her leave his side. "Starting tonight we will begin to share the same bed."_

_He didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead he slammed the door behind his exit as hard as possible and stalked back to the study to fix himself a large glass of scotch and drown his sorrows._


End file.
